West Highland Extension by John McGregor

Great Railway Journeys Through Time

The railway line that runs west from
Fort William to the port
of Mallaig is often included on
lists of the world's greatest railway journeys, and very few who have travelled
the route would disagree. It was one of the last great projects of the railway
age, taking four years to build and opening in 1901. En route it passes along
the north shore of Loch Eil before almost touching the north end of Loch Sheil
and heading across country to meet the sea at Loch Ailort and Loch nam Uamh. It
turns north at Arisaig before
coming to its conclusion, alongside "The Road to the Isles", in
Mallaig, a stepping stone to and
ferry port for the Small
Isles and the Isle of
Skye.

In more recent times the existence of the line has reached a much
wider audience thanks to the inclusion of the Glenfinnan Viaduct in scenes from
one of the Harry Potter movies. This has done nothing to diminish the
popularity of "The Jacobite", a preserved steam train that runs along the line
during the summer half of the year, and which graces a number of the more
modern photographs in this wonderful book.

"West Highland Extension: Great Railway Journeys Through Time" by
John McGregor is written as a companion to the same author's
"West Highland Line", which focuses on the
line from Glasgow to
Fort William. Both are
superb books that should be read and will be enjoyed by anyone interested in
the areas the lines traverse, or simply in trains travelling through stunning
scenery.

The book begins with a six page history of the West Highland
Extension. The bulk of the book forms a photographic journey from
Fort William to
Mallaig, using great photographs
from different periods throughout the life of the line to illustrate points of
interest along the route. This is, of course, a book about a railway line, and
most of the images feature trains. But in many ways the trains take second
billing to the scenery. Steam trains may well be among the most beautiful
objects ever created by the hand of man, and there are plenty of them between
the covers of this book: but here they complement the stunning landscapes they
are passing through rather than dominating them.